Raptor, p.18
Seabreeze Book Club (Summer Beach 6), page 18
As others made their way to the temporary sleeping quarters, Carol sat next to Ivy. “Has Bennett returned yet?”
Ivy shook her head. “I’m sure he’ll be late. He’ll want to make sure that everyone in Summer Beach is safe.”
“We’ve had Bennett to ourselves in this town for a long time,” Carol said, inclining her head. “Someday, we’ll have to learn to share him.”
Just then, the rear door banged open. Hal slipped off his wet athletic shoes by the back door.
Carol hurried to her husband. “You’re half-soaked, darling.”
“Only the lower half,” he said with a grin. “I helped place sandbags to protect some of the structures down below. Of course, those won’t help against a massive wave, but we’re all hoping for the best.” He looked up at Ivy. “Bennett was directing the crew, so he should be along soon. We’ve done about all we can do.”
“I’ll wait up for him,” Ivy said.
After Carol and Hal turned in, Ivy brewed a cup of green tea to wait for Bennett. She thought about what Sunny and Jamir had faced this evening, trembling as she realized that tonight could have ended tragically. Would she and Imani have been physically strong enough to pull Sunny and Jamir to safety as Bennett had?
While she couldn’t answer that, she knew that what Bennett had done was not without risk to himself. Undoubtedly, he would have done the same for anyone in trouble—and that was another reason she loved him—but tonight, he’d saved her daughter’s life. She was beyond grateful to him.
She sat at the kitchen table, sipping her tea. The house was quiet, but she would wait for her husband. He had waited long enough for her.
19
When Bennett returned to Shangri-La, the property was dark, save for a sole light in the kitchen. Through the window, he could see Ivy at the kitchen table.
He was bone-weary, but he and other Summer Beach residents had done all they could. He barely had time for a break before sunrise when he’d need to be available again. After parking, he walked inside, and Ivy rose to greet him with a hug.
He saw her tea on the table. “You waited up for me?” The thought eased the aches in his body. However, he didn’t have long to rest.
“Of course,” she replied, her eyes shimmering with emotion. “I’ve been thinking about us—and about what you did for Sunny and Jamir tonight. I’m so grateful you came to help. If you hadn’t…” She blinked, her voice trailing off.
“But you knew how to signal for emergency help,” he said. “Give yourself credit for that.”
He was thankful that he’d managed to help Sunny and Jamir to safety, and he dared not even think of what the alternative might have been. Pulling Ivy close, he welcomed the warmth of her body. They were both exhausted.
After everything that had happened today, Diana’s employment offer—as attractive as it sounded—no longer held the same appeal. He was needed in Summer Beach, and this is where his family was. Still, the other city wasn’t that far away. He thought of what he could do for Ivy and her children with his salary increase. Was he passing up what might be the best career opportunity of his life?
Ivy turned her face up to his. “Did everyone make it to safety?”
“All that we know of,” Bennett said, pulling his thoughts back into the moment. “Everyone who could get a vessel away from the docks went out. That keeps boats from being smashed in the marina or washed onto the shore. Chief Clarkson’s team and other volunteers went from door to door checking to make sure folks got to higher ground. Have you been able to reach Misty?”
Ivy’s face relaxed with relief. “She called on Sunny’s phone when the service came back on, and she’s safe in Los Angeles.”
Bennett kissed her forehead. “I’m so glad.”
“Your boat is still in the marina, isn’t it?”
“I’ve had other priorities,” he replied.
“But you worked so hard to restore it.”
He placed his hands on her shoulders. “Ivy, the tsunami watch has been upgraded to a warning. As much as I loved that boat, it’s the least of our worries.” Mentally, he’d already let it go.
Ivy’s lips parted as she grasped the meaning of this. “Heaven help us if a big wave hits.”
“Actually, it could be a series of waves with increasing intensity. We have to be ready for each one and try to keep people in place until we’re sure the threat has passed.” He clutched her hand between his.
“Are they sure a tsunami is coming?”
Bennett shook his head. “Nothing is for sure. Maybe we’ll get lucky, and the waves will dissipate before reaching the shoreline.”
Ivy touched a finger to his furrowed brow, smoothing it. “How long do you think it might be until people can return to their homes?”
“I can’t say,” he replied, turning his face into the softness of her palm. “Emergency teams all over Southern California are monitoring the situation. We have to watch and wait for the all-clear signal.” As the adrenaline that had surged through him earlier waned, extreme fatigue filled him, and his speech faltered.
“Carol prepared a guest room for us,” she said, looping her arm around him.
“I wish I could rest, but this is a critical time,” he said. “Hal said he’d leave out some dry clothes for me. I’ve got time to refill my coffee, and that’s about it.”
“Did you get some of Mitch’s sandwiches we sent over? While we were gone, the book club pitched in and helped him make food for others, too. Hal has been delivering in the golf cart.”
“I handed them out to other people, but I didn’t have time to eat.”
“If you’re not going to sleep, at least you need sustenance,” Ivy said, putting a hand on her hip.
“Yes, ma’am,” Bennett said, summoning a smile for her. Steadying himself with her support, Bennett stepped out of his wet shoes, leaving them next to Hal’s. He glanced around the well-appointed kitchen.
Hal could have relaxed here and stayed dry, but the award-winning producer was working alongside everyone else to take care of the community. Bennett had a lot of respect for that.
While Bennett checked in with his sister and her family, Ivy brought out a platter of sandwiches the book club women had made with Mitch. “Looks like tuna, lobster salad, or roasted chiles and cheese.”
“Two of the latter, please.” While Ivy slid the sandwiches onto a plate and poured a fizzy Italian soda for him, Bennett eased onto a stool. Outside the kitchen window, the moon was high in the sky. The fronds of tall palm trees whispered in the ocean breeze, casting shadows across the expansive gardens and paths that wound through the property. On any other night, he would have admired the view, but tonight it was all he could do to stay alert.
“Is there any coffee left over?” he asked, eyeing the clock above the professional stovetop. It was two a.m., and he had many hours to go yet.
“I’ll put on a fresh pot.”
“I can do that,” Bennett said, not wanting to sound like he had expectations of her. “I wasn’t asking you to do it.”
“Really?” Ivy turned to him and made a stern face. “Eat. I’ve got this. You have to fuel up for the next round out there. And take some of this food back to the others. If I know Clark, he probably gave away his share, too.”
“Pretty sure he did. There were a lot of families who grabbed the kids and fled. The children were tired and cranky. Some people were in the middle of preparing dinner.”
“That’s why I don’t eat fashionably late,” Ivy said, raising her eyebrows. “This is California. You never know when an earthquake will cancel your reservation.”
He appreciated her sense of humor, even at a time like this. Not that he’d seen an earthquake like this in more than twenty years. When she put the plate before him, he wrapped his arms around her. “Thank you, sweetheart. I promise I’ll make this up to you.”
“As if you could have controlled Mother Nature? Please. Not even you can do that, Superman.” She dropped a kiss on his cheek. “Now eat up and get back to work.”
“Not before I have a coffee chaser.”
“Coming right up.”
Bennett wolfed down everything she’d put before him, filled a thermos he found in a cupboard, and packed a bag of food and supplies.
“Can I come and help?” Ivy asked as he was getting ready.
“You could, but we need a place to send people,” Bennett said, thinking out loud. “If you can stay here to meet them and see that they find a place to lay their heads, that would be a big help.”
“I’ll do that,” she said, sliding her arms around him.
With food and supplies, Bennett returned to the emergency staging area he’d help set up by the road leading to the ridgetop. As the moon traversed the sky, he passed out meals and bottles of water and hot coffee to Clark and others aiding people.
In between helping people figure out where they should go and receiving updates from the state emergency department, Bennett kept an eye on the ocean. The full moon illuminated roiling whitecaps, and the tide was higher than normal, but he couldn’t see any massive, towering waves yet.
He prayed he wouldn’t.
As the eastern sky grew lighter, the thread of traffic slowed. The last of Summer Beach and surrounding residents had sought shelter and were safe.
Clark clamped a hand on Bennett’s shoulder. “There isn’t much else to do right now, and it might be a long day ahead. Why don’t you grab a few hours of rest, then I’ll follow you? It won’t do any good for both of us to wear out. I can last a little longer, but you look awful.”
“Hey, thanks for that.” Bennett bumped fists with the chief. “I’ll take you up on it, but be sure to wake me if anything happens. I mean it.”
Clark promised, and Bennett started back to Shangri-La, where he’d sent so many people tonight.
Ivy was still up, making people as comfortable as she could. Bennett told her the plan.
“I’m pretty exhausted, too,” she said. “I’ll join you.”
In the guest room, Ivy helped Bennett peel off his clothes. She started the shower for him, and he stepped under a stream of hot water from a state-of-the-art waterfall shower. It felt so good, but with his legs giving out, his momentary bliss came to an end.
As she handed him a towel and turned down the bed, he watched her every move. She took his breath away. To him, his new wife was the most beautiful woman in the world.
“This must be what heaven is like,” he murmured, embracing her. “I only wish I had more energy. If we make it through this, I want us to go somewhere—just us.”
“When we make it,” she whispered. “And we will.”
After collapsing into bed, Ivy snuggled next to him. This was the love—and the woman—he’d needed in his life. He thanked the universe for sending Ivy to him, and after a few breaths, he fell fast asleep.
It seemed as if only minutes had passed since his head touched the pillow when a rap sounded on the guest room door. Hal’s deep voice reverberated through it. “Good morning, Mr. Mayor. Clark is here with some news.”
Bennett blinked and shot out of bed, his heart hammering. Had a tsunami come ashore? Was Summer Beach still standing? “Be right there.”
Ivy was curled next to him on the silkiest sheets he’d ever slept on. He hated leaving her, but she needed rest. There was no need to wake her until he knew what was happening. After kissing her smooth cheek, he grabbed his phone, pulled on the fresh clothes Hal had left for him, and stepped into the hallway.
“Did you get any sleep?” Bennett asked his friend.
“A little,” Hal replied, though he looked remarkably rested. “I never slept much when I was younger and even less now. Chief Clarkson is in the kitchen, and Chef Raul has coffee going for us.”
“Good morning,” Chief Clarkson said as Bennett walked into the large kitchen. “I’ve got good news.”
“Could sure use some,” Bennett said, feeling hopeful.
Clark explained that he’d received a call from the department monitoring the potential for a near-field tsunami. “As the data is coming in, the risk for Summer Beach is decreasing. Although we had a series of smaller waves that flooded the streets and some low-lying sections of town, we escaped the larger, destructive waves.”
“Thank goodness,” Ivy said from the doorway.
Bennett turned around. She was wrapped in one of the white terry-cloth robes that Carol had left in the guest room. “Come join us.” He rose and pulled out a chair for her, admiring the way her hair curled around her face first thing in the morning.
Continuing the discussion, Bennett said, “This is the best outcome we could hope for. Once we have the signal to return, we can begin releasing people to re-enter the village area.”
Clark nodded. “I’m receiving reports that most houses came through the earthquake pretty well, but a few older structures are badly damaged. I hate to report that Paige’s shop is one of them. She also lives above the store in the old apartment that the original owners built.”
“We saw that on the drive up here last night,” Bennett said, reaching for Ivy’s hand.
“Does Paige know?” Hal asked, frowning.
“No, Paige rode with Poppy last night,” Bennett said. “They wouldn’t have taken that route, but we did because we went to check on Shelly and Mitch.”
“I planned on breaking the news to Paige this morning,” Ivy said. “We can make room at the inn for her.” She reached for Bennett’s hand.
“You’re going to have a full house again,” Clark said. “I don’t imagine there will be too many displaced, but there might be a few who will need longer-term lodging.”
Ivy pushed her tangled hair back from her forehead. “That’s what we’re here for. Send them over, and we’ll find a place for them. I imagine we’ll have a few cancellations from people who are wary of aftershocks.”
Bennett squeezed her hand. Ivy didn’t have to step up like that for the residents of Summer Beach, but he was pleased that she was. This community meant a lot to him. Neighbors had cared for him after Jackie died; in return, he would do everything he could for them. To see Ivy doing the same brought a warm feeling to his chest.
Surely he could help Ivy work out any doubts she still had. This is the woman he loved. If only she could realize how much.
20
“Here’s to an unforgettable night,” Ivy said as she raised her glass of orange juice over the breakfast table.
People who had spent the night at Shangri-La gathered in the kitchen. Mitch and Chef Raul had turned out a breakfast of eggs and bagels, yogurt and granola, and fresh fruit and juice. Poppy and other book club members had helped Ivy set up a buffet similar to what they usually did at the inn.
“Thanks to each of you for pulling together in this effort to keep us all safe and sane,” Ivy said, gazing around the large table at Sunny, Shelly, Imani, Nan, Maeve, and others. Gilda clutched a shivering Pixie. Even Geena had joined them for breakfast, staying close to Paige. “And special appreciation to Carol and Hal for opening their home to us.”
Everyone in the kitchen broke out in cheers and applause.
“We made it through an earthquake and a tsunami threat,” Shelly added, raising her glass high. “Woo-hoo to us!”
“Good neighbors work together,” Carol said. She executed a slight bow while Hal pressed his hands together in appreciation to those gathered. “We haven’t had a slumber party like this in years.”
Carol had also committed to attending book club meetings, and Ivy was glad to see that everyone there treated her as a real friend. Carol had turned out to be more modest than Ivy had imagined. Instead of ordering her household staff around, Carol had worked beside them making up beds, serving food, and helping people shelter in any way they could.
“And to all of our new friends,” Paige said, putting her arm around Geena, who smiled uncertainly at the people around the table. “Bettina and her husband would like to remain in Summer Beach after their vacation, and I’m trying to talk Geena into staying, too.”
Imani shot a look across the table at Ivy, but she refrained from comment.
Inwardly, Ivy groaned at the thought. Geena was troubled, and while Ivy agreed that the woman needed a break, she wasn’t eager to have her as a neighbor. Geena’s mother seemed to have a strange influence on her daughter—even though Geena was old enough to exercise judgment.
Or did Geena see Paige as a new mark? Ivy hated to think that, but she didn’t know much about Geena. Could her story last night have been an act to gain Ivy’s sympathy? That’s what Imani would say.
“I’m proud to be a part of the renewed literary tradition at the old Las Brisas Del Mar,” Paige said. “I’ve attended many book club meetings in my time, but I’ve never held one by lantern and candlelight. Amelia Erickson would be proud.”
Sitting beside Ivy, Shelly nudged her under the table. Ivy dreaded telling Paige about the damage to her bookshop and home, so Shelly had promised to share the task.
Ivy wished Bennett was here because he’d known Paige so long. But after an early breakfast, he had gone with Chief Clarkson into the village to begin assisting people returning to their homes. Once Ivy went back to the inn, she would make room for the displaced, too.
Everyone around the table and seated at the kitchen bar looked exhausted from the ordeal, but they ate hungrily. Without being asked, Sunny and Jamir took charge of washing dishes after everyone had finished.
When Shelly saw Sunny putting an armload of dishes into soapy water, she whipped out her phone to take a photo. “I have to record this momentous event—Misty won’t believe it.”
“Go away or come help,” Sunny said, flinging soap suds toward her aunt.
Wiping bubbles from her face, Shelly laughed. “I’m off to the playroom on diaper duty. Who knew babies were so poopy?”
“They’re worth it.” Ivy chuckled. Shelly would have to get used to that soon.
As people cleaned up the areas where they’d spent the night, Ivy approached Paige. “Before you leave, Shelly and I would like to talk to you. It’s important.”
